Orcs of Keltarnay

Most fantasy settings have orcs as the perennial villains - savage, slobbering hordes bent on chaos and destruction, pillaging the countryside as voraciously as any dragon.

In Keltarnay, orcs do not necessarily follow this model. In some areas orcs are regarded as black hearted savages (the Empires of Iskadar, as well as some of the southern nations of Narrudan). But in other places, orcs are regarded with a certain respect. When orcs form political bonds with their neighbors, they are usually treated with caution; but once the "civilized" races give them a chance, orcs show that they are truly allies worth keeping - loyal, fiercely protective, and powerful in both war and peace.

The orcs came to Keltarnay as refugees, as did most other races - although in the case of the orcs they were stowaways. They snuck onto elven transports and hid themselves away, using the blackest arts they had to ensure they would not be detected. Only a scant thousand orcs succeeded in this venture - some were discovered and slaughtered, some were discovered and dropped off on tiny "islands" in the vastness between worlds. But those that managed to make it to Keltarnay lived, and ventured far into the untamed wilds, away from all the other races.

Some of them retained their savage, destructive nature from the time before the Crossing; these are the orcs known in Iskadar, but some few tribes of such also exist in southern Narrudan. In Tarnaclese and northern Narrudan, the orcs who survived were profoundly changed by their journeys. They became less vicious and more spiritual, attuning with nature in a way unknown to their kind before. They began to identify with and worship animal totems, and soon they had developed a loosely organized religion centered around these spirits. Even among the most savage orcs, the name of Gruumsh is forgotten.

Their culture altered from one supported by pillaging and looting, to something more like a hunter-gatherer culture. Females became more powerful, both physically and socially, and were no longer cowed by the males. Orc society began to develop into something more stable than the tenous kinship ties that had (only sometimes) prevented them from slaughtering each other in fits of bloodlust and rage.

Modern orcs now form clans, and tend to keep to themselves if they can. They still prefer the lonely stretches of vast wilderness, and claim large territories for themselves in the wildest parts of the world. They favor rugged terrain and a lifestyle of nomadic wandering, following the great herds on which they depend for meat and other things. A handful of clans in northern Narrudan have taken the next step beyond this, and have begun domesticating animals and even some limited farming.

Orc society is based primarily on deep kinship ties. Family is everything to an orc. An orphaned orc is rare - someone in the clan will take him in, for to be without a family equates to a total loss of personhood. Only oggnok - "trash people," in translation - have no family. The worst punishment an orc clan has is a form of shunning, wherein the criminal is formally and permanently stripped of his name, and made oggnok. His name is struck from the records of his clan, and they do their best to make it as if he never had lived.

The second leg of orc society revolves around battle and hunting prowess. They are still fierce fighters, and very skilled in every sort of violence. A ranking system, based on personal accomplishments and contributions to the clan, allows each fighter in the clan to achieve recognition and earn privileges. Wealth is not a very firm concept, as most supplies are communally shared, but status is very important, and one can get extra supplies on the strength of one's reputation. The most visible leader, and what most outsiders think of as the only clan leader, is the War Chief, who is always the most skilled and highest-status warrior.

The third part of orc society is the spiritual. Shamans and spirit-speakers dispense wisdom, consult the spirits, and guide the clan. Their function within the clan is as officiators of rituals, record keepers, teachers, healers, and mediators between family groups and clans. Their oaths are to the clan as a whole and to the spirit-gods they worship. They are more skilled in magical combat than physical combat, but they do not earn status through battles. Instead they earn status through successfully completing rituals and other mystical tasks. The second leader of the clan is equal in power and influence and status to the War Chief, but less flashy, and is often overlooked by outsiders. This leader is called the Elder of the clan.

Orcs will treat outsiders with suspicion at first; since many civilized kingdoms still see orcs as little better than beasts, it is no surprise that orcs find themselves the prey of would-be heroes. It is possible to earn their trust, however, and as some have found, orcs make steadfast allies. They aren't pretty and they aren't well mannered, but they are very good to have at your side in a fight, and they are as proud as they are fierce.